* Provençal locution meaning “what is that?”
My first message on this board, a kind of presentation, of myself and of two kozukas. I got a lot of information reading this forum so I thought I could contribute at my level with a post from the point of view of a new beginner, what has been my understanding when you’re completely fresh and don’t know anything. I deliberately commented some Japanese terms to verify what they mean but don’t hesitate to correct me if needed!
It all started with these diminutive knife handles my eyes got attracted by at a local auction. Initially the theme on one knife reminded me of some artwork I just appreciated, from a Chinese painter, Qi Baishi (I’m by no means expert in any oriental art, just sometimes attracted by the style).
The auctioneer was informed enough to indicate I was looking at some “kozukas” so I ended up quite rapidly on this forum. After an overwhelming phase where the terms shakudo, nanako, shishi, mei, etc. just mixed up in an exotic milkshake, I came to understand these small artifacts were representative of an impressive craftsmanship (at least at their level, itself correlated to my budget…), an expression of a dedication and patience I admire.
As it appears nobody else was interested in bidding, I won them…
And now I’m curious! I got two : the first one (on the left) is in the best condition, the second is really worn out and sadly has a crack where the blade should have been inserted (I knew it when buying). Both look like to be made of shakudo (an alloy of mainly copper and some gold that can take nice patina). I apologize for the poor pictures under, but I just have a mobile phone and some magnifying glass. It should nevertheless be enough to discern the motifs and understand what I used to base my analyse (I believed initially the silvery powder around the motifs was a kind of artistic effect but understood later it was… dust ).
It seems the left one is depicting a flower arrangement (ikebana?) of some plum (ume) or cherry (sakura) twigs but I cannot identify the golden artifact. Does anyone know what it could be? Some kind of vase or container? Or maybe a quiver?
The right one shows what I think is chrysanthemum (kiku) flowers in its plena form, with buds and leaves. I don’t know if there’s more to say to it…
I understood there’s more than often a hidden message or legend back these representations so if you think there’s something here, just let me know!
Now for the back side. The first one has a mei (signature) but I couldn’t decipher any kanji from the linked list on the forum.
The second looked like “mumei” (without signature) but after closer inspection it had one at one point but I can only see remnants of a last kanji.
I understood it’s probably nothing to extract from these, being often “gimei” (a kind of homage at best, fakery at worst?) but it would be nevertheless nice to know what’s written there. Apparently, the previous owner got them when working at the Japanese ambassade in Oslo.
Regarding the quality, these are the first and only ones examples I’ve seen until now in my region, so I can just guess.
Ironically, it seems a good indicator (at least for the newbie I’m) for evaluating the quality is the background (the nanako). Ironical but again representative of the attention given to small details. The fact that someone punches these minute dots one by one for hours justify nearly the buy (at least for me).
Sadly again these are quite worn out but I would say there are decent, dense but showing some fluctuations on the horizontal lines and imperfections in vertical/diagonal alignment. I couldn’t identify any other kind of alignment pattern. Below some pictures under magnification, respectively for the plums and the chrysanthemums.
For the rest, I think the ikebana theme is simple but well executed, with nice details in the branch. Difficult to say about the chrysanthemum as some details (on the leaves by example) have disappeared. After that, I’ve to admit I don’t know what to look after…
I tried to brushed out the dust with a (dry) toothbrush, without success. What would be the next approved step for a more thorough cleaning? Just water with some soap?
I would appreciate if some experts could eventually help on some of the interrogation above and of course correct me if I’ve written anything wrong. As said it’s my first introduction to the tosogu world so be indulgent. But don’t hesitate to say the truth neither, I can cope with that. At the end, I guess the main message to a new beginner like me will be “don’t buy junk, get informed before taking out the wallet” :).
